Realize
by E. Limberg
Summary: Mac and Stella. While at a crime scene, Mac and Stella discover an orange kitten that has blood on its paws. The kitten makes them realize how they feel about each other. Song by Colbie Caillat.


**Realize**

"_Take time to realize_

_That your warmth is _

_Crashing down on in_

_Take time to realize_

_That I am on your side_

_Didn't I, didn't I tell you"_

Stella rolls her eyes as Mac wanders off down the alley, probably in pursuit of evidence. He had a habit of doing so without informing anyone where he was going.

Five minutes later he returns. "I need you to take this back to the lab."

She looks up at him, "A cat, Mac? Do we have mice running around the lab or something?"

The little orange kitten meows as it is flipped over. Blood stains his paws. "He's evidence."

"You're the one who found him. You take him to the lab. I don't want cat hair all over me and my car."

"Stella," he says in a warning tone. "I'm your boss. You'll do as I say."

She sighs, "Okay. But not until you find him a box to travel in."

"You take him while I get one," he holds the kitten out to her, and she reluctantly takes it.

He looks up at her, expecting to be petted. "What?" she frowns at it.

Deciding this woman wasn't going to entertain him, he lifts his paw up to swat at her hair, amusing himself. A few seconds later, however, he finds his paw caught in her hair. He tugs, trying to get free.

"Ow," she yells, almost dropping him.

Mac drops a box at her feet. "There."

"A little help would be nice," she says, trying to get the kitten's paw out of her curls.

Hiding his smile, he frees the kitten from her and puts it in the box. "See you back at the lab."

"_But I can't spell it out for you_

_No, it's never going to be that simple_

_No, I can't spell it out for you"_

"Meow," the kitten whines from inside his box. His little nose pokes through the hole Mac cut for him to breathe out of.

"I'm not letting you out. It's only fifteen more minutes until we get to the lab."

The kitten puts his arm through the hole, attempting to bat her to get her attention. "Meow."

As they stop at a red light, Stella looks over at the box. Feeling sorry for the kitten, she opens the top. "But you have to stay in there."

Seconds after she has turned her attention back to the road he has jumped out of the box. "Hey," she scolds, glancing at him. He stares up at her, his green eyes all innocent looking.

Spotting the air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror, he fixes his eyes on it, tail wiggling back and forth.

"Don't you dare think about it," Stella holds her finger out at him in warning.

He pounces forward onto the dashboard, ignoring her. He walks back and forth, distracting her. Suddenly she brakes to avoid a collision. The kitten slams into the windshield.

"That's it. You're going back in your box," she picks him up and closes the box back up, much to his protest. Someone behind her honks because she is not moving. "Just a second."

Traffic starts moving again, and the kitten seems to whine louder than before. "Mac is going to pay for this," Stella mutters to herself.

"_If you just realize what I just realized_

_Then we'd be perfect for each other_

_And will never find another_

_Just realize what I just realized_

_We'd never have to wonder if_

_We missed out on each other now"_

"What's in the box?" Adam asks curiously.

"Mac is making me cat-sit."

"A cat? Mac's idea?"

"He has blood on his paws. You could clearly see where he walked through the blood stain. I don't know why we needed to bring him in."

"The sooner we process him, the sooner we can get rid of him and you can get back to work."

"Is the layout room empty?"

"I believe so."

"Let's lock him in there."

Five minutes later both scientists are in the room with the kitten. "I brought some turkey for him. Thought he might be hungry," Adam says, putting it down on the table.

Stella opens the box to let him out. "Why don't you get blood samples from his paws and run them? Then I'll start to go over his fur and stuff."

It doesn't take long for the two to finish processing the cat. Adam goes off to work on the DNA samples, and Stella sits in the room keeping an eye on the kitten. He wanders around the counters, curious. Eventually he comes back to her, rubbing against her in an attempt to get her to pet him.

"Well, I think we've got as much information as we can from you. Now Mac can take you to the shelter when he gets back. You're a cute little guy; I'm sure somebody will adopt you soon," she gives in and scratches behind his ears. He purrs softly.

Mac opens the door, and she turns around to face him. "I assume you've processed him."

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll bring our other evidence in here to process so you can help. Keep watching him until we decide what to do with him."

"Yes, sir," Stella says, knowing it annoys him.

He frowns at her words. "Where did the cat go?" he enters, closing the door and looking around.

"He's right…" Her eyes scan the room. The kitten is gone.

"_Take time to realize_

_Oh, I'm on your side_

_Didn't I, didn't I tell you_

_Take time to realize_

_Oh, I'm on your side"_

"You idiot. He probably ran out the door when you stood there with it wide open," she shakes her head at him. "You can find him."

"Stel, please help me look for him."

"No. It's your fault he's gone."

"Maybe you should have been watching him," he counters. "Besides, he couldn't have gone that far."

Grudgingly she follows him out into the hallway. "You head that way, and I'll go this way."

The partners split up. Stella walks by the elevators, hoping the kitten hadn't decided to get on one. She comes to Mac's office, the door ajar, and steps inside, looking around. Having not found him, she is about to exit when Mac steps in.

"Any luck?"

"Nope," she drops onto the couch.

He sits next to her. "We got what we needed, right?"

"Yeah. But I don't think he should go back out on the street. We should take him to a shelter or something. If we find him."

They sit quietly for a few moments. "Do you hear that?" he looks at her. The couple gets up, researching the whole office. The kitten had to be nearby if they could hear purring.

"Maybe we're imagining it," she sighs in frustration, the search futile again.

Mac puts his hands on his chair to pull it out and sit down but stops. "Stella…" he puts a hand on her arm and gently pulls her closer.

"What?"

He points down at his chair. Curled up on it is the sleeping kitten.

Both detectives reach down to pick him up at the same time. Their hands brush and their heads hit each other. "Sorry," they stand back up, blushing.

The kitten opens his eyes, looking up at his friends, and meows.

"_But I can't spell it out for you_

_No, it's never going to be that simple_

_No, I can't spell it out for you"_

"Case closed. Now what do we do with him?" Stella asks, sitting in Mac's office, the kitten curled up on her lap.

"I was thinking maybe… you'd like to… keep him."

"Why would I want him?"

"You seem to have grown attached to him the past few days."

"And you haven't? Why don't you take him?"

"Maybe I was thinking about getting a dog," Mac says.

"But you're never home. You can leave the cat alone for days as long as he has food and water."

"All the more reason for me to get a dog. You're always telling me to go home."

She smirks, "You just don't want everyone to know what your weak spot is."

"They already know it's you. Why else would they always send you to invite me to parties and tell me bad news and all that?"

"Fine, I'll keep him. But you have to come up with a name for him."

"What about… Tangerine?"

"I don't think so," she frowns at him. "I could be like those people you see all the time in TV shows that name their pets after someone in their life. Then you never know if you're talking about the pet or the person. I can tell everyone how bad Mac was, and they'd think I was talking about you. Or I could just call him Mac as in macaroni and cheese which is kind of orange."

"What about Cinnamon?" he ignores her comment about using his name. The kitten meows and gets up to stretch. "Or Ginger? Or… Paprika?"

"I think he likes Cinnamon," she looks down at him, and he meows again.

"Cinnamon it is."

"_If you just realize what I just realized_

_Then we'd be perfect for each other_

_And we'll never find another_

_Just realize what I just realized_

_We'd never have to wonder if_

_We missed out on each other"_

"Hey," Stella opens the door for Mac.

"I stopped for some cat treats," he enters her apartment and steps into the kitchen. Cinnamon jumps on the counter to greet him. "Are you being a good kitty?" he scratches the cat's head.

"You didn't have to. He eats just about anything, whether I want him to or not."

"It's okay," he gets a couple plates out of the cupboard for her. While he dishes the pizza, she gets out a couple beers from the fridge. Then they sit at the table to eat and talk.

Cinnamon, excited about having a visitor, jumps on the table a few moments later. He meows, trying to get Mac to pet him again. The couple ignores him so he meows once more and rubs against Mac's beer bottle.

The bottle, still full, tips over, spilling all over Mac. "Cinnamon," Stella scolds, placing him on the floor and getting towels for her partner. "I'm so sorry, Mac."

"It's not your fault," he attempts to dry himself off.

"Do you want me to wash those for you? It should only take an hour," she offers.

"I…"

"I don't really have anything that'll fit you while we wait though."

He pulls his shirt off, "You can wash this. But I'd rather keep my pants."

"Wait, I have an idea," she pulls him to her bathroom and gets out her hairdryer and a washcloth. "You can try to dry it."

"Okay," he watches her leave. When he comes out again, she is busy picking up glass. "What happened?"

Surprised, she jumps, cutting her palm. "I was going to put it in the trash, but I tripped over him," she flashes an angry look at Cinnamon, who is now spread out on the counter by the sink.

Mac cleans the wound and fetches a band-aid from the bathroom. After covering the cut, he kisses her hand. Stella reddens, refusing to look at him.

"_But it's not the same_

_No, it's never the same_

_If you don't feel it to_

_If you meet me half way_

_If you would meet me half way_

_It could be the same for you"_

"Are you cold?" she asks, glancing quickly his direction to avoid staring at him.

"No, I'm fine." Mac touches her arm, "I think we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Us."

Stella finally looks at him, "Why? Are you leaving or something?"

"No, of course I wouldn't leave you. It's just… something's different between us now. And we need to address it before it ruins our friendship."

"Okay…"

"I… you're more than just a great friend to me, Stella. Over the years I've realized that my feelings for you have grown," he places his hand on hers to reassure her that they were all right.

"We've been through a lot together over the past few years."

"Claire asked me how you and I could just be friends and partners after she first met you. She… was one of those people that believed men and women couldn't just be friends."

She gives him a small smile, "I guess we've proven her wrong."

"Yeah, she changed her mind about that shortly after we got married. She told me once that if anything ever happened to her, she wanted me to be happy and look for another person to spend my life with. Claire said… I should consider… you. She knew you would look out for me and that I'd take care of you. Sometimes she thought I spent more time taking care of you than her. But… she understood that we have a special bond between us and respected that. And she was never jealous that you and I were…"

"Closer than you and her were," she finishes for him.

Mac nods. "Something made me think of what she said. And… take it into consideration."

Suddenly she gets up, exiting the room. He stays put, hoping she'll return and wondering where he had gone wrong. "Here," she tosses him his shirt and sits back down beside him. "You're distracting me."

"_If you just realize what I just realized_

_Then we'd be perfect for each other_

_And we'll never find another_

_Just realize what I just realized_

_We'd never have to wonder_

_If we missed out on each other"_

He buttons his shirt up, "Claire really liked you. Once she got over the fact that my partner is a woman and an attractive one at that."

She watches him finish buttoning his shirt and sit down again. Cinnamon jumps up on his lap.

"You're a troublemaker," he pets the kitten's head. "You better watch out because she doesn't play games."

"Are you sure you don't want him, Mac?" she jokes.

"No, he's all yours," Mac smiles. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that… I've come to care about you a lot. And I think that I should listen to Claire. You've helped me so much since she passed away."

"Mac…"

"Stella… what I mean to say is… I love you."

She remains silent, turning her gaze from him to her lap.

"But you probably don't feel the same way so… I'm sorry, Stel. Besides, why ruin what we already have?" Again she doesn't say anything, quite unusual for her. She doesn't even react when Cinnamon moves from his lap to hers. "This was all a mistake. I shouldn't have said anything. I really need to get going."

As he heads to the door, she whispers, "I love you too."

He freezes, thinking he imagined it. Cinnamon meows at him. Patiently he waits for her to say something more.

"Claire was right, Mac. We can't be just friends. I've… fallen in love with you."

He crouches down in front of her and wipes away a tear that has escaped. She leans forward to wrap her arms around him. Cinnamon, fearing he will be squished between them, jumps off of her lap, causing her to fall forward onto him, having forgotten the cat was laying on her.

Mac, lying on the ground with Stella on top of him, starts to chuckle. She rolls off of him and sits up. "I don't think it's very funny."

"Your cat keeps trying to set us up."

"_If you just realize what I just realized_

_Then we'd be perfect for each other_

_And we'll never find another_

_Just realize what I just realized_

_We'd never have to wonder_

_If we missed out on each other"_

Mac opens his eyes and finds a pair of bright green ones staring back at him. "What are you doing?" he whispers to the kitten that is standing on his chest.

"Meow," Cinnamon responds, looking over towards Stella.

"Shh," he says. Stella is still curled up as his side with her head resting on his shoulder, sleeping.

"Meow."

"You're a troublemaker. Just like someone else I know," he glances down at his partner.

"I heard that," she mumbles, adjusting her position on the couch to get more comfortable. "What's he doing?"

"Nothing."

Stella blinks a few times, a large pink nose obscuring her view. "Good morning, Cinnamon." The kitten plops himself down on top of Mac, purring happily. "You are very loud for such a small animal."

Proud of himself for what he thinks is a compliment, he purrs even louder and kneads Mac. "Ouch," he says suddenly, frowning at the cat. "Someone needs to be declawed."

"I have to make an appointment for him at the vet," she scratches the kitten's head. At her words, he jumps down and runs off.

"Guess he doesn't like the vet."

"What time is it?"

He checks the cable box, "Eight-thirty almost."

"We're going to be late," she sits up.

"Relax. It's Saturday. You have off."

"Oh. Well, you'll be late."

"I'm the boss. I can be as late as I want."

"Unless Sinclair finds out."

"Besides, Flack calls me most Saturdays before I even get to work. Friday is apparently a popular night for murder," he pulls out his phone to make sure they didn't sleep through a call.

"Why don't you go take a quick shower and I'll make you some coffee?"

"Okay," he stands up and stretches.

"Just don't let Cinnamon in the shower with you."

"I thought cats hated water."

"He's an odd one," Stella shrugs and rolls her eyes.

Ten minutes later Mac comes out. "I hope you don't mind but I used the rest of your deodorant. And some of you soap and shampoo."

"I'd like to hear what the guys have to say when they smell you today," she kisses his cheek. "You need to shave."

"I didn't think you had any shaving cream so I didn't use your razor to do so."

She laughs at him and hands him a thermos of coffee, "I guess I'll talk to you later."

"I love you," he kisses her cheek.

"Love you too." Stella watches him leave, Cinnamon sitting on the counter beside her, and hopes that she and Mac will spend the rest of their lives together.

"_Missed out on each other now_

_Missed out on each other now_

_Missed out on each other now"_

**A/N: I'm not really sure where I got this idea. Maybe because I want a cute little orange cat. But I got a puppy instead. Anyway... I was thinking of writing a sequel where Mac gets his dog but I haven't done it yet. I've got... two more one chapter stories written, one about Stella getting arrested and another about... well, I don't know how to describe it. And then I've started another multichapter story; I think I'm through chapter five. It's about the Greek coin thing and based off of spoilers I've read. And what I hope happens. I can't believe that Mac's supposed to follow her to Greece. I can't wait. And there's supposed to be a spark or something between them. Of course, there'll probably be a big fight beforehand, but... I'll be happy if they finally get together. Anyone know for sure who dies? I've heard it's Angell, but I don't know whether that's true or not. Her death wouldn't really affect the line up in my opinion. Wel... I guess that is all for now. I'll try to post another story later this week. Please review.**


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